Champions asked to help celebrate and show that manufacturers ‘Make it in Great Britain’
Make it in Great Britain is a new campaign aimed at transforming outdated opinions of UK manufacturing. The campaign will culminate in an exhibition…
Make it in Great Britain is a new campaign aimed at transforming outdated opinions of UK manufacturing. The campaign will culminate in an exhibition during Olympic Games time that will celebrate the successes of the manufacturing sector and encourage young people to consider a career in the industry. It is all part of the Government’s drive to encourage long-term economic growth and rebalance the economy away from the financial sector and towards a strong manufacturing sector.
To help overturn the persistent myth that Britain ‘has no manufacturing industry’ the Business Secretary, Vince Cable has called on manufacturers across the country to help Government find up to 30 ‘industry champions’ to take part in, and support the _Make it in Great Britain _campaign.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
“Despite popular belief, Britain still does make things and has outstanding manufacturing companies, large and small. Our world-beating companies have an excellent reputation for innovation. I want our young people and those who hold outdated views of British manufacturing to see that reality. That’s why we’re launching the _Make it in Great Britain _campaign.
“To help us do that I want our most passionate manufacturers, whether that’s ‘captains of industry’ or those just starting out in their careers, to be our industry champions. With their help, we can modernise people’s views of manufacturing and dispel the myth that ‘we don’t make anything in the UK anymore’.”
The industry champions will be knowledgeable about manufacturing and will play an important role in challenging the current myths about UK manufacturing. They will identify and publicise British manufacturing successes and act as advocates for the campaign and the future of British manufacturing.
The call for champions comes after a week of activity, highlighting the importance of manufacturing to the economy and, through the Government’s ‘See Inside Manufacturing’ initiative, encouraging young people to consider a career in modern manufacturing.
Manufacturing Minister Mark Prisk said:
“For the last week, we have been celebrating the success stories of great British manufacturers and showing our young people that manufacturing is an exciting and modern career.
“When I was at the BMW plant in Hams Hall earlier this month, I saw how a glimpse of what modern manufacturing really is can enthuse young people and challenge older people’s inaccurate views of industry. This campaign will spread the word about UK manufacturing excellence, encouraging potential investors and our young people to be part of the success stories of the future.”
The campaign will be formally launched in the coming weeks and it is hoped that the first ‘champions’ will be present at the launch event where the venue will also be revealed. There will also be an opportunity for some representatives to help identify and select the content for next year’s exhibition, ensuring that the very best of UK manufacturing is represented.
Notes to editors:
- Manufacturing announcements made over the last fortnight are detailed below, more information on each is available at www.bis.gov.uk * For the last two weeks, the See Inside Manufacturing initiative has seen companies in the automotive sector open their doors to young people and show the wealth of career possibilities in manufacturing industry; * On Tuesday 11th October, the Business Secretary announced a new £140 million Advanced Manufacturing Technology Innovation Centre; * The Prime Minister opened a new £400m factory making carbon-fibre wings for Airbus’ new A350 airliner and the Deputy Prime Minister and Business Secretary announced £4.8 million of private sector and Regional Growth Fund investment in renewable manufacturing in Huddersfield on Thursday 13th October. * On Friday 14th October Mark Prisk launched the new national Manufacturing Advisory Service which could help create £1.5bn in economic growth, 23,000 jobs and safeguard 50,000 jobs.
- If you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague to be an industry champion, please visit www.bis.gov.uk/makeitingreatbritain.
- BIS’s online newsroom contains the latest press notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.
Notes to Editors
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